The Third Trilogy
by harusame11
Summary: After a fruitless search in Termina for a dear friend, Link disappears from Hyrule. Eight years later, Princess Zelda needs him to combat an unseen force. The unwilling Hero and the Princess must fight for Hyrule. The price? The Master Sword.
1. Chapter 1

~**This is my first story. Ever. I don't own The Legend of Zelda, or really anything that is seen here. Except Jeal. I made her up. Leave a review, if you are so inclined, and let me know if I should continue the story or hang my head in shame! Thanks!~**

* * *

He wrapped his black cowl around his hair and his lower face, leaving his eyes unobstructed. A long sleeved black shirt was next, and he did up the laces at the neck and sides with quick fingers. He tucked his black pants into soft, well worn boots and tugged on thin leather gloves and gauntlets. Putting out his campfire with a bucket of sand spooked his horse a bit, and he spent a few minutes stroking her painted flank.

He mounted, riding bareback and guiding the horse with his knees. He grasped her mane and noticed that the white was starting to bleed through again. As horse and rider crashed through some brush at the edge of the village, he noticed a girl running towards him, a sword, longer than she was tall, slapping against the ground. He winced.

"Dammit, Jeal, how many times have I told you to not let it hit the ground?" he hissed. He dismounted and waited for Jeal to come closer so he could take his sword.

"I don't know what you just said, Link, but I'm sure it was nothing good. Here," the girl said, brushing her brown hair out of her eyes and resting the sword tip on the ground. She shoved it to him, and he caught it easily. He strapped it to his back as Jeal checked on the horse. The mare snorted softly and tossed her head.

"Easy there, girl," he whispered.

"She smells nasty. Why do you cover her up in this garish paint?" Jeal asked. She watched as he mounted again, turning the horse to the East. She was just about to ask again when he spoke.

"Don't let anyone into the temple until sunrise, do you hear me? I can't be responsible for anyone who tries to follow me in there."

"Yeah, yeah. Listen, just because my dad is the mayor doesn't mean-Hey!" she called as he took off. "Damn jerk."

Link, for it was he, rode Epona as fast as she could go to the East. After his fruitless search in Termina for his friend, he almost starved to death. It was ridiculous. The Hero of Time, starving? And yet, there he was. He was contemplating killing his horse for meat and her skins, when a little boy crashed into the campsite he now called home. Looking back, it was comical; the little boy with black hair staring wide-eyed at the starving man holding a knife up. The boy promptly burst into tears and Link dropped the knife with a clang, horrified that he had almost killed his companion of so many years.

After the boy had calmed, Link learned that there was a village literally right through the tree moat that surrounded the Hero. He escorted the boy home in the hopes that he could gain some coin or money. The boy's parents gladly shared their food with him, and Link decided it wasn't so bad here.

He started doing odd jobs around the village, thatching roofs and mucking stalls, when the local smith came up to him and handed him a beautifully crafted broadsword, sheathed in leather. Link, flustered, stared at the elderly man until he yelled, "Don't look at the damn gift-horse, you fool!" and threw the sword at Link. At the end of the day, with a loaf of bread and some cheese wrapped in a kerchief for his works, he dropped the sword off at the smithy's, unwilling to just take it.

The old man was considered crazy, and very impulsive. He would refuse to work for months on end, only to cater to the children of the village when they had need of hammers and such. He often gave away his works, as he did to Link, but the villagers would pay him, either with money or food. Link had neither, and so had given the sword back. The next day, the old man came barreling into Link's site, and told him to keep it, in exchange for the worthless Rupees that Link had.

Link shook off these thoughts and concentrated on the trail. The temple loomed before him, and he slowed as the cliff it was carved into appeared between the trees of the forest. The entrance for the temple was about fifty feet straight up from the ground, and Link rolled his eyes. Adjusting his cowl and loosening the belt across his chest that held his sword, he dismounted and sent Epona back home, after splashing some dye he had procured from the village on her mane. He watched until she disappeared into the forest, which didn't take long, and then turned to the cliff.

Luckily, it wasn't a sheer cliff, and it would be rather easy to climb in the daytime. But it was the dead of night and cloudy, so he didn't even have the moon as a light source. He sighed; if only Navi were here to light the way. But she wasn't, he told himself sternly, and you'd best get started.

As he climbed, he reviewed in his head what this temple supposedly held. There used to be a trail that had been carved into the face of the cliff, and the Kings and Queens of old would be put to rest inside the temple. King Tahf, or the Silver One, had been the last to be entombed here, claiming to have put a curse on the temple.

He was a selfish King, and his people were terrified of him. He would often root through his subjects' houses taking what he pleased, even in the dead of winter, causing many families to either starve or live on the streets because they couldn't pay his outrageous taxes. After forty years of this, a foolish young woman decided to go against him. She had watched as he had taken food from her elderly parents' mouths, or so the story told.

King Tahf thought she was beautiful and offered to marry her. In exchange, she and her family would live in extreme comfort. She didn't love him, didn't even think he was attractive, but married him for her parents' sake. After her parents died, Her Highness renounced her place, claiming that she no longer wanted to be King Tahf's wife. The King, who found her to be very pleasing to the eye and the envy of every Kingdom a week's ride away, was loathe to let her go.

The King decided that he would rather kill her than be without her, so he took her to the temple and after they reached the entrance, the path behind them crumbled. The two had gone inside and he had killed her. She cursed him on her dying breath, saying, "The dead shall bring you down." He had laughed, for the dead could not move, but as he left, all the tombs opened and rushed him, causing him to fall.

King Tahf caught the ledge, but his fallen wife was there, grinning sickly. She broke his hand with a stomp of her foot and he fell to his death. Now the place was rumored to be haunted, with the dead Queen's ghost that would break the intruder's hand, and the King's falling shade. Link snorted. With his luch, those would be much more than rumors.

But he felt he owed it to these villagers, and so he had promised to do something about it. After carefully making his way up, Link found himself at the entrance. Gathering his wits and readjusting his cowl, Link stepped into the temple.

* * *

Princess Zelda had a piercing headache. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, hoping to lessen it, but to no avail. She would have to get a cold press from the kitchens and have a quick nap. She stared down at the paper work cluttering her desk for a moment, before nodding to herself and standing. But apparently too quickly for she collapsed to the stone ground.

Images, hazy and hard to make out, filtered into her mind's eye. Panic gripped her chest and Zelda clutched her head, the headache suddenly spiking in intensity. Her hand servant ran over to her, bidding her to answer his calls, but she couldn't; a vision was taking form. A man she had never seen before was riding into Hyrule, followed by a giant army of the undead. Death and disease spread from them, enveloping everything in decay and filth. The only thing that stood before her precious kingdom and the undead army was the Hero of Time. A highly changed Hero, for his hair was long and he was dressed entirely in black, but she would recognize him anywhere. Her eyes snapped open and she stared unseeingly at her servant.

"Send for-" she passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

~**A.N. New chapter, its a bit shorter. I don't own "The Legend of Zelda" and part of doesn't want to. Too much work. Anyway, enjoy and thanks for reading!~**

The undead here were worse than that of Hyrule, Link thought. Once again, the zombie-like skeletons had latched onto his ankle and ripped his feet from underneath him, causing him to trip. His face was scraped up because of this repeatedly happening and he was getting more and more annoyed. Legend or no, there is no reason for the sheer amount of dead that seemed to accumulate in this place. He swung his heavy sword at the rotting arms, slicing through putrid flesh. His nose wrinkled and he jerked his booted feet away.

Link called Din's Fire, obliterating all the undead around him. He looked around, and finding no enemies around him, decided to take a rest. Rats swarmed around the now-monster-free area, and he sighed. It felt like he had been slashing away at those monsters for a long time, but he knew that there was a lot more to go.

The suffocating aura of the place was giving him a headache and making him sick to his stomach. It was bearable, but he sure as hell couldn't wait until the temple was finished. Link could only imagine the evil that was infused into the place, soaked into every stone and animating the dead. He shuddered, his mind flashing back to the Shadow Temple in Hyrule. That had been nightmarish with its hidden passages, fake walls and invisible monsters. This place was barely better simply because it didn't have the traps that the Shadow Temple did.

He lurched to his feet. He had to hurry, or else that stupid Jeal would come in here looking for him. His boots didn't make any noise as he padded down the passage. He had pulled his cowl down so that he could breathe, but now he yanked it back into place. The irritating and disgusting smell was making his eyes water. He crept through the next door frame, counting the undead in the chamber, mentally calculating how much energy it would take to slaughter them or if it was worth it to try to sneak past.

Early on he had tried the Sun's Song, but that had proved useless. It was just a song here, he came to realize. There was no magic in the air to follow his will. Even Din's Fire had taken a lot out of him, twice as much as it had done in Hyrule. Unfortunately that's all he brought with him from Hyrule; the Ocarina and the magic. A well placed bomb would have at least wounded all the the undead in this room. Conversely it would have probably brought the ceiling down on his head. He sighed again, adjusting his grip on the sword and charging as quietly as he could.

It seemed that these guys were completely blind, and depended on sound to bring them to their prey. They didn't scream to paralyze his body, and for that he was thankful. One of the monsters turned towards him, eye-less head seeming to look right at him.

He brought the sword up, easily slicing through the neck and severing the spine. The wet slaps the corpse made as it hit the ground alerted the others that were milling around, and Link went to work.

They didn't move particularly fast, and Link had his guard constantly up, so the fight didn't last long. He would face one, slash at its neck or head, and move on. It was a pattern that he fell into easily. Soon the room was cleared and he was able to move on.

* * *

"Princess! Wake up, Princess," her attendant said, wiping her face with a cold cloth. She groaned as conciousness filtered into her head and eyes. Pain exploded behind her eyes, but she willed her magic to ease the ache. It faded away, and she opened her eyes. Her attendant and her maids were crowded around her bed, where she lay on top of the covers.

"I'm sorry, Geralt," she said, sitting up. Her body resisted the movement, but she forced herself to her feet. "How long have I been out?"  
"A couple hours," one of the maids said shakily. She was holding a shallow pan full of water, and it sloshed onto the rich rug on the floor. "It's almost dark."

"I see. Geralt, alert the stable masters. Tell them to ready a horse." The older man nodded and took off for the lower part of the castle.

"My lady, you cannot yet move about, let alone go for a ride!" the younger of the two maids said, clasping her hands before her.

"I must agree," the other said. "Besides, we don't even know what caused your collapse. Should this happen on the road, Goddess forbid, you could be captured. Or worse."

"No. There is someone I must find. Get me packed for travel, please, and pack some food for about a month. Also, a weapon of some kind would not be amiss," Zelda said, listing the things she needed on a hand. The maids watched in something akin to horror as their royalty was planning an extended trip. "I must also set things up so that my absence won't be missed. I trust you two will pack?"

"Yes, my Lady," they chorused glumly.

Preparations were made, and Zelda set out. Her insticts were telling her to head West and she pulled her white gelding towards that direction. The staff watched her ride away, back straight and shoulders squared, handling the horse as if she were born riding. Many said prayers for their Princess and a select few were expecting her to not come back. A man in the back smirked as she disappeared over the horizon towards Kakariko Village. Turning his back, he cast a speech spell and whispered into it before going back into the castle.

He headed for the back entrance, and ducked through. Now was the time to attack, while the Princess was gone on her inane mission. He let a smirk grace his face again, and he bought a room at the Inn in Castle Town to celebrate the beginning of the end for Hyrule.

* * *

"Damn it!" Link yelped, putting out fire that had caught on his pants. He accidentally set himself on fire. Again. It seemed he needed more discipline in the art of magic casting. Or, he could stop using it all together.

He was near the end of the temple, where the famous King was said to buried. If the King really was buried there, Link had his work cut out for him. Someone with that much evil and will to enact revenge is going to be a rough fight. But Link calmed himself and pulled out his last potion; he wanted to be fully healed for the fight that was coming up.


	3. Chapter 3

~**A.N. Hey here's the next chapter. Thanks for reading and the review I got! It made my day. I don't own "The Legend of Zelda"~**

* * *

Of _course_ that damn girl would follow him into the tomb. How silly of him to assume otherwise. Link glared at Jeal as she bent at the waist and her hands on her knees to catch her breath. He was in the second to last room, or so he figured, when the steady sound of running footsteps sounded behind him. He had whipped around so fast that he couldn't have stopped his blade from hitting her in the throat. Only her short stature kept her safe as she yelled out.

"What the hell?" she gasped out. "You about killed me!"

"No. No questions from you. What are you _doing_ here?" he hissed at her.

"Following you, you idiot. After Epona came back without you, I got worried. What if you had-"

"It doesn't matter!" he yelled. "What I do is none of your business! I _told_ you to stay there! Why didn't you listen?"

"Because," she said quietly, unmoved by his yelling, "I knew that you didn't know what you were getting into."

Link growled before turning away from her and running his hands through his hair. "I'm not going into this blind," he said in exasperation. "I know the legend, and only someone completely unconnected to the world wouldn't be able to feel the-the _wrongness_ of this place."

"But," she started, "do you even know how to fight?"

"Excuse me?" he laughed out. "Did you see all those cleared out rooms? Can you see the burn marks on my face? Does the stench of the undead not cling to me?"

"It does. But I had to fight my way here as well. Hoards of them." She shuddered.

"What?"

"What?" she asked in return. "Surprised that a girl can fight?" Jeal crossed her arms and leaned back slightly.

"No. No, where I come from girls fight very well. Some fight better than I do," Link said, thinking back to the Gerudo. He had had his ass handed to him many times before he took the hint to learn from them and not get frustrated. He shook himself out of his thoughts to see Jeal looking at him with a strange, almost admiring, expression on her face. "What?"

"That's the first time I've heard about you and your past," she said. His face hardened and he turned around.

"You go home," he said, walking away.

"No!" she yelled, running after him. Bewildered as she was at his reaction to her statement about his past, she wasn't about to let him go and commit suicide. "I'm going to help."

He didn't say anything, but she caught his sigh and his rolled eyes.

* * *

The road was a bit rougher than the Princess remembered. Or maybe it was the gelding that Geralt had saddled for her. Either way, after a couple hours of riding she was ready for a break. She looked behind her, and sighed wearily. She could still see part of the castle rising from the horizon. This pace would never do. She had intended to let the horse roam for a bit, but she couldn't afford the lost time. She tugged once more on the reins, urging her horse on, increasing the speed until he was cantering steadily.

She grinned as he started pacing. Both feet on the right side moving forward and then both feet on the left moving forward. Side wheeling. Whatever one called it, Zelda found it extremely encouraging. The gelding was a bit older, his back a bit curved with age, but he could pace for days should the need arise. She prayed to the Goddesses that she would reach the Hero soon, for if anyone was to attack Hyrule, it would be while she was away. She was worried about her Hyrule, but she had left it in capable hands.

Geralt, a retired General, was watching over the place. Surely someone as wise and brilliant as him could keep Hyrule safe for a few weeks.

* * *

He crept through the silent village, intent on not making a sound. It was the dead of night, and he had just gotten delightful news; the Princess was gone. In her place was that old goat Geralt. But that didn't concern him right now. Now was the perfect chance to gather his army. But first, he had to find an old friend.

Kakariko was a small village, but easy to hide in. In fact, just that morning, he had hidden behind the potion shop and watched the Princess ride away. So he had his work cut out for him, looking for the person he needed. But fate seemed to smile down on him because he found the man he was looking for within the hour.

Bent nearly double, the street urchin's stringing grey hair touched the ground. Teeth were missing as well as an eye, and he had claw-like fingers. The man and the urchin stared at each other for a moment before the man hissed, "It's time to go."

"Really?" the old urchin cackled, rubbing his hands together. "I have waited for this day." They trailed to the graveyard.

The man couldn't have possible do what he was about to with the Princess here. She of pure and white magic would immediately sense the black magic that was going to take place in the temple behind the graveyard. But that Geralt, he was a different matter. It was simply a matter of having one of his may spies slip some sleeping powder from Kokiri forest into the man's drink, and he wouldn't wake up until dawn the next morning, with no memory of what might have happened.

The two stood in one of the many tomb-like rooms in the Shadow Temple, the man with a glittering silver and obsidian knife. He turned to the old urchin, who was manic with glee. They nodded to one another, and the man brought the knife down into the urchin's chest, killing him and bleeding him out.

"Come to me!" he yelled as the spirits shifted in answer to the spilling blood. "Come to me all those who have died! All those that were killed in the pointless war! All those in the Mass Drowning of Lake Hylia! All those from the Massacre of Gerudo Valley! All those with a shattered soul and a vengeful spirit! Come to me and I will realize your wishes!" The spirits were circling excitedly now, the man noticed with a smirk. Some things were so easily manipulated. "Come to me and I will ease your suffering. I shall mold you into a mass so strong that all those that have suffered you shall fall!" The spirits feasted on the spilled crimson blood. The nourishment gave them body, and no longer did they look like a haze or mist.

These dead were an army. Hyrule would be taken down.


	4. Chapter 4

**~A.N. So, it's been awhile. Some shit has gone down, in the form of me having to attend my eighteen year old cousin's funeral. This story will not be abandoned, simply because I really, really want to finish it. But I won't be able to post anything for a week or so. Thanks to all who have reviewed, and enjoy the story. Thanks!~**

* * *

The Princess rode hard, barely beating the sun as it crested over the small village in which she found herself. The horse was breathing heavily, and frothy sweat covered his neck and back. She'd have to brush him down before she could even think of resting for the night. Going to the local Inn, she paid for a room and stable space. After mechanically brushing the gelding down, she crawled into the bed in her room, anxious to find restful sleep.

Her dreams, however, prevented that. All night she was tossing and turning in her sleep, unable to shake the feeling of foreboding that had settled in her magic. Something was severely wrong, she knew. Something, but she didn't know what it was. Maybe it was stress. The last time she had a vision she had sent the forest boy to his destiny, but he came back to tell her that nothing needed to be done, for if he got the Master Sword it would break the seal.

But she was afraid of this feeling, unwilling to risk her life and those of her people on the off chance that nothing needed to be done. She had to do something. And with that resolved in her head she passed into restful, deep sleep and didn't wake until the ninth hour of the morning the next day. The urge that had led her to the West now changed so that she was going North instead. She nodded to herself and pulled her sore body out of bed and into a hot bath, hoping to relieve her muscles. A bite of breakfast for her and her horse and she would continue her search.

* * *

Link and Jeal crept through the last chamber of the Temple, trying not to make any noise. The silence was heavy and dense, and the last thing Link wanted to do was disturb it. Jeal felt no such compulsion and had been snapped at several times for her loudness. He rolled his eyes and glared back at her as she tripped over a bone on the floor, snapping it. She shrugged helplessly and they went on their way.

At the end of the long, narrow chamber was a massive skeleton with a tarnished crown on the head. Link gestured for Jeal to remain where she was, about twenty meters away from the skeleton. He gripped his sword that was sheathed at his shoulder and slowly drew it, drawing out the metallic sound it made as it slid out of it's sheath.

"Shhh!" Jeal staged whispered to him, a smirk on her face. He made a rude gesture with his hand and continued on, stopping only long enough to brush some cobwebs out of his face. The crown rolled off of the skull and Link froze, looking for any more movement. Not seeing any, he moved closer until he stood at the feet of the collapsed skeleton.

It was laying haphazardly, its head on its shoulder, but neck intact. It had a great ax in the relaxed bones of it's hand, and armor covered the chest and back. Link crouched down to get a closer look. The sockets glowed red and Link barely jumped out of the way when the ax came flying down right where he was crouching. Jeal screamed.

* * *

Of course, as soon as she started riding, it would rain. Zelda sighed and pushed her hair that was escaping from her braid over her shoulder. She had shed the traveling cloak that she had donned this morning, draping over her horse's hindquarters as he walked. She didn't remember it until she got the bright idea to where it to protect herself from the rain. Imagine her surprise when she got drenched when she pulled the wet wool around herself.

Cursing in a very unladylike manner, Zelda wrung it out as best as she could while she rode, unwilling to stop even a moment. She was close to where she needed to be, she could feel it. The path she was traveling seemed to swallow her horse's steps, so that they weren't moving. She knew it was only anticipation, but the feeling remained all the same.

However, a sound in the brush to her right caused to stop short. Something was moving there, something large. Her imagination took over, and she swore that she saw a large bear where the rustling was. She didn't stop to think that if it was a bear, she would have heard it long before, she just dug her heels into the gelding, and he shot forward, the nerves of his rider wearing on his own.

The dust cleared and the dyed Epona picked her way through the brush. She shook her head, clearing her muzzle of any dirt and leaves before taking off down the path, towards the camp that she and Link called home.

* * *

The skeleton, Link figured, had been cursed. Black, ominous magic seemed to surround the ax it held. The think was able to swing that axe like it weighed nothing, but Link knew better. When he had parried earlier, he had felt the weight of the ax against his sword, and he had staggered. It reminded him of the Iron Knuckles he had faced when he was in Hyrule. Of course, he didn't have Jeal screaming at him and giving him useless advice.

"Look out!" she yelled, reminding him of Navi. He rolled to the side as the axe split the floor of the tomb where he had been standing a scant few seconds ago. It was stuck, and Link used this opportunity to attack the opening in the skeleton's defenses, slashing away at the thing's head and neck. The spine shattered, and the magic that had surrounded the sword whirled around Link before sinking into his sword.

A strong wind blew through the tomb, removing every last trace of dust and cobwebs from the inner sanctum, and bringing with it a sense of peace. Link closed his eyes, basking in the feeling that he hadn't felt since he was a boy in Kokiri Forest. The wink died down to a breeze, and he opened his eyes to find Jeal looking in horror at the blade in his hand. He looked down at it, brows furrowed.

The metal looked like it had been tarnished, it's silvery sheen now black. Red runes were glowing and shimmering on it and when he went to touch the blade, it burned. He shook his hand in the air to cool it as he observed the sword, unwilling to look away.

"It's been passed to you," Jeal whispered. He looked up at her. She was backing away slowly, her hand pressed to her mouth in horror. "I thought you could rid us of this evil thing, but you let it in to yourself."

"What do you mean? I'm still the same me," Link said. As annoying as Jeal was, he couldn't stand the frightened light that shone in her eyes.

"Right now you are, yeah. But soon, you'll fade." She turned and ran, and Link made no move to follow.

Jeal practically slid down the cliff side in her haste to get away. Nerve-rending fear surrounded her and all she could think about was getting away. The new comer, Link, said he would get rid of the evil, not accept it into himself. She felt the burn of tears in her throat as the helplessness overwhelmed her.

She stumbled through the forest, running towards the village. She had to tell her father, had to get the others out of the area, before he succumbed and killed them all. The madness of the magic would drown his consciousness until all that remained was a puppet. But not even halfway to the village, she ran into another girl, maybe three or four years older that Jeal herself.

The girl was blond, and though she was wearing riding clothes, she seemed to make them the most beautiful clothes in the world. She was obviously weary and tired but at the same time she carried about herself an air of royalty, of importance. Jeal knew instinctively that she could help.

"Who are you?" she stuttered out.

"My name," the girl said, turning to her, "is Princess Zelda."

"Zelda?" The name sounded familiar, but Jeal couldn't have placed it in her memory if her life had depended on it. "Listen, my friend has been possessed. You have to help!"


	5. Chapter 5

**~A.N. I'm back. I'm sorry for the really late update. I've been out of it, I guess. Plus my computer has been really slow and hard to work with. Anyway, I don't own "The Legend of Zelda". I don't want it. Thanks!~**

* * *

Zelda looked at the girl, brows raised. She looked frightened out of her wits and pale. Her eyes were wide and glassy with panic and her whole body trembled. The fact that she had asked a complete stranger for help caused the Princess to worry about what had frightened her. But there was also something about this girl that made Zelda want to help her.

"Possessed, you say? By what?" Zelda asked.

"His name is Link," the girl gasped out, trying to regain her breath. "He's been possessed by the spirit of the King."

"Link?" Zelda asked, her blood running cold. Shock filtered into her system and she felt conflicted. She had finally found him, if her instinct was correct. They had left on polite terms, if not friendly. But now here he was, not even a league away.

"You," the girl hesitated, "know him?"

"I might. Take me to your friend, and I will see if I can help."

* * *

Link was at the entrance, finally. His sword had grown strangely heavy, in seeming correlation to the distance put between the blade and the back room where the ridiculously easy undead King now lay. But it wasn't a physical weight, for the steel and iron had not grown more dense. It was as if a weight on his mind were slowing him down. He feared that if he were to let down his guard that that weight would shatter his mind, and he would be left gibbering in a state of madness.

He decided a rest was in order and sat on the edge of the entrance of the Temple, where it hugn over the cliff. His feet dangled over the steep drop, and the false light of pre-dawn filtered over the land he called home. He observed the blade he held across his lap, and instantly felt his thoughts spiral out of control. Link tore his eyes away from it, sweating and panicked.

_What the hell?_ he asked himself. Never before had his thoughts been hijacked like that. It was as if some malevolent force was now lurking in the back of his head, staining his thoughts. This was not good.

A glint of gold flashing through the forest below him caught his eye. Focusing, he saw Jeal leading a stranger towards Temple. He couldn't hear her words, but the tone of her voice told Link that she was still freaking out about him. He was, too.

"Link!" Jeal called up to him. "Don't jump!"

"Why would I?" he yelled. He was annoyed and amused that she would think that he was going to jump to his death.

"There's someone here to help you, Link. Come down from there!" Jeal pointed to the other figure who looked strangely familiar. He sheathed the sword and climbed down.

When he reached the bottom, he paled and pulled his cowl up. _Why is Zelda here?_

"I don't need any help," he muttered. "I'm just a little tired, is all."

"See?" Jeal asked, pouncing on his weariness. "Not like himself at all!"

"I _just_ went through a temple filled with angry undead. Of course I'll be tired," Link said. He turned to Zelda. "Why are you here?"

"Link," Zelda said, nerves jumping. Finally,_ finally_, she had found him. "I need you to come back. Hyrule needs you to come back."

"What did you do this time?" Link shot at her, crossing his arms.

"You are right to be angry," Zelda said, bowing her head. "I stole seven years from you and made you grow up mentally, all so I could know to not use the Master Sword. But I didn't do anything this time. I had a vision, Link. Someone wants to desecrate Hyrule."

"Someone already has," Link said. "It was desecrated the moment the Hylians went to war with one another."

"Please Link, come back. If not for me, then for the Kingdom."

Link sighed. He couldn't go about living his life, thriving through odd jobs and secretly missing the thrill of adventure, while the kingdom he had traveled through time for was in danger. He dearly wanted to, but he knew that whatever was going on there, it was enough to send the Princess herself to look for him. If the danger was on that scale, it wasn't just Hyrule that was in danger, but Termina and the rest of the world. He looked at Jeal, who was staring at the sword. Could he send her home into danger?

But didn't he have a right to be free of those that messed up his life? Yes, he went willingly, at first. He began regretting it when he felt an adult's responsibility upon his shoulders even as a child.

"If I do this for you," Link said, "I will insist upon conditions."

"Whatever you think is fair," Zelda said.

"After this, nothing more. I refuse to be used like I was in my childhood again. I won't ask for assurances because I know that you can't promise anything in terms of my making it out alive. However, I do wish to be given a house, or a small cottage so that I may live out my life afterwards. I do not want to be bothered."

"I can guarantee those things for you," Zelda said after a moment of thought. "But I must ask that I go with you when we get back to Hyrule."

"Why?"

"I refuse to make you save my kingdom, again, by yourself. I will help, even if all I may be able to do for you is heal your wounds."

Link thought about it. It wasn't too bad. Of course, he was used to a small ball of light as his only useful companion, and doubted Zelda's fighting ability. But she also had spent about seven years disguising herself as Sheik. She had appeared and disappeared so suddenly that he had no doubt about her strength. He could only hope that she could fight as well as she could run.

"I accept." Jeal stared between the two Hylians in astonishment. This wasn't right. She had only wanted to help her friend, not have him leave. She kicked the ground and turned away from them.

"So you're leaving? Just like that?" she asked. Link's hand landed on her shoulder.

"I have to," he whispered. Zelda looked on in surprise. He had always struck her as a recluse, not having any friends. "Not just for Hyrule, but for everyone here as well. I have the feeling that this trouble that's brewing in Hyrule will only spread, like a disease. It has to be destroyed, and it seems that only a few can stop it."

"I understand _that_," Jeal snapped. "I just wish you didn't have to."

She walked away, slipping from under his hand. "But if you fall down, know that you can always come back here. We'll even build you a cabin!" She ran through the forest, clearly fighting tears. Sadness pulled at Link's heart as he watched her go.

"Shall we?" he asked Zelda, whistling for Epona while wishing he could stay.

* * *

Akuma was thrilled. His undead army was now on the move. But not to the castle, oh no. That wouldn't do. His first task was to take out the sages. The most powerful one, Rauru, was in the Sacred Realm, which Akuma was not able to infiltrate yet. So he would go after the other sages, and steal their power. Even if the combined power was not enough, he would at least draw out either Rauru or Zelda. Whichever it was, he would proceed to take their strength and use it to over throw the remaining sage and Hyrule. This land would be his.

The first step to realizing this dream was to send his armies into the Temples. This was ridiculously easy. Akuma grinned to himself in the dark of the Shadow Temple, where he was ensconced. This was going to a great ride, with even greater rewards.


	6. Chapter 6

Saria wandered through the Forest Temple, her breath misting in the unnatural cold. The Sacred Meadow had also been cold, but it was near Winter, so she hadn't thought much of it. In years past it had been even colder in the village, let alone the actual Forest, and so wasn't unduly worried. But the air in the Temple was malignant, sentient.

The place was always a bit creepy in Saria's opinion simply because of the monsters that had made themselves at home there. One had to always be on the look out for Skulltulas and Keese. Supposedly there were poes here as well, Saria remembered. She clutched her shoulders and shivered. Her fairy was tucked under her green hair, his dragonfly wings fluttering comfortingly against the back of her neck.

"Hey, Rhy," Saria said quietly. "What do you think happened to the Temple?"

"I'm not sure," he answered. "But look, there's where we used to get mushrooms." Sure enough, nestled in the crotch between two roots was a splash of colorful fungi. Saria crouched down and reached a hand for them, but Rhy scuttled down her arm and pinched her hand, making her yelp.

"What was that for?" she asked, standing up and dislodging the fairy so she could rub the sore.

"Those mushrooms are poisonous!" he told her, hovering at eye level to her. "You touch them and you die!"

"What?" she breathed. Usually, she could tell. She was a forest creature after all, and had studied under the Great Deku Tree, who had sadly passed away. She could name every living plant and animal in the Lost Woods, as well as name their unique properties and what they could be used for. These mushrooms looked just like the ones that she had growing in her house.

She picked up a stick and used it to move the mushroom around, examining it. Rhy hovered closer to it, careful not to get too close. After several moments, she found what she was looking for.

"The stalk is too long," she said. With a little maneuvering, she managed to pop a mushroom free of the ground. She traced the stalk with the stick. The other ones also had long stalks. "Rhy, bring me a leaf or something. We need to take this back so that we can show the others."

"Right." He buzzed off, leaving Saria to her thoughts. Saria stood and examined the hall that she was currently in. The air here bothered her. It was a flash of ugliness in the beauty of the forest, and it made it hard to breathe. Dark shadows gathered in the corners and sounds that she had never heard before kept making her hair on her arms stand up.

Rhy returned with a large oak leaf, and Saria used the stick and her boot to roll the mushroom up in the leaf. She picked it up and tied the loose ends of the leaf with some grass.

"Saria, I found something," Rhy said, landing on her shoulder.

"Yes? Should I look at it?"

"No. See, what I found was," he paused, unwilling to say it, but knowing he had to. He drew a deep breath and released the last two words on his sigh, "a skeleton."

"I'm sure animals have made their way here only to be ambushed," Saria said, ignoring the cold pinpricks on her neck.

"No, it wasn't an animal. It was human."

There was a long pause before Saria answered him.

"Let's go."

* * *

Awkward could not describe the tension in the air, Zelda decided. Uncomfortable couldn't either. Angry was close, and nervousness. She glanced back at her companion, who was riding Epona with what could be described as a sulk on his face. His brows were drawn together and his mouth was slashed in a frown. She sighed and fought to not roll her eyes at him.

They had been on the road for several days now. He had yet to speak a word to her, despite her constantly trying to draw him into conversation. Eventually, she had given up and settled down for a long, silent, uncomfortable and achingly awkward ride home. Her horse tossed its head as if it agreed. She glanced back again, examining the once red horse that Link had won by gambling.

She was streaked with a nasty smelling black dye, with her mane and tail stringy and limp. Epona looked as cranky as her rider did, and Zelda quickly averted her eyes. As they cleared the forest that they were currently trudging through, she gazed with appreciation at the sun set.

"We should probably set up camp," she said, pulling her horse to a stop. Link did the same and dismounted. "We also need to talk."

Link shrugged and patted the sword at his hip almost lovingly before relieving Epona of her saddle and rolling out his bed roll. With great care, Link laid the sword down beside the bed. Zelda furrowed her brow, but didn't say anything.

"Let's start with an apology, shall we? I realize that I made you grow up quicker because I did the wrong thing by having you get the Master Sword and breaking the seal. I'm sorry that those seven years were stolen from you. But, in this timeline, _that didn't happen_. I refuse to be held responsible for something I didn't do. Yes, in another timeline I made you life miserable. But instead of hanging on that fact, and sulking like a child, you should embrace the skills and experience you gained by doing this. I didn't do it. Not in this universe.

"Link, I wish that this hadn't have happened to you. I wish that you mother didn't die and you were chosen. I'm so sorry that that happened." Zelda looked at him, and furrowed her brows. He was staring at the ground. "Link?"

"What do you want me to say," he ground out, his voice rough from days of silence. "That I forgive you? That I'm okay with never getting a damn break?" He stood and glared at her, his blue eyes burning into hers. "Let's get one thing straight. You will tell me what your vision was, and will kill the bad guy. I'm not doing it for you or your people. I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for Hyrule, because I seem to be the only one that can protect her."

He paced, his soft boots kicking up dust. He pulled his cowl up so that all Zelda could see was his eyes.

"You don't understand," he said in a cold voice. "You were affected by Ganondorf's rule. You went into hiding for seven years and then returned disguised as a sheikah. You guided me to where I needed to go, constantly risking yourself. I can only imagine the fear and close calls that you must have gone through.

"_But you don't have to live with it._ You don't have to live with the memories. I still wake up shaking and trembling like a child because of close calls in the Temples." He shuddered. "I'll work with you, and maybe even forgive you. You aren't perfect, despite the fact that the Triforce of Wisdom resides in you. But as of right now, I can't. You are dragging me back to that hell."

Zelda was silent, listening to him rant. His voice was cold and dead, and his eyes flat. She had no way of knowing what he was feeling. For a split second, she yearned for the boy that was dressed in green, with a fairy hovering around him. The man in front of her was strange. His past was truly horrific if he was still having night terrors.

"Link, I-"

"Tell me what the vision was," he interrupted, sitting down and crossing his arms, glaring at her. Part of her wanted to apologize again, but she knew it would be useless. So she took a deep breath and sifted through her memories, and began the vision that prompted her journey.

* * *

Akuma watched as the Kokiri left the Temple. That was the one, the Forest Sage. But something wasn't right. She only had the echoes of the magic of a Sage, not the essence. He growled, causing a Keese to flutter its wings before settling down again. She was useless if she was a simple Kokiri. He knew his time was running out, he needed to get the Sage's powers.

He started pacing, robes fluttering behind him in the dark, ominous air. How could he harness the magic? What would awaken the Sages?

He grinned to himself and he stopped abruptly, a plan in his head. It would set back his bigger plans, but that was acceptable. He called a ball of dark ice into his hand and called for his servant.

"There's something I need you to do," he told the ice, and the person on the other side.

* * *

**~A.N.: Yet another chapter. I don't own "The Legend of Zelda". I also wanted to say that I'm using "Hyrule Historia" as a reference to the three timelines that happened in "OoT", so if there's any questions please review and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!~**


	7. Chapter 7

Link rode slightly behind the Princess, his anger and thoughts turning darkly in his head. The sword at his hip, which he had dubbed Night in his head, pulsed gently. It was as if it was feeding off of his feelings. He glanced at it and patted the hilt, which was strangely warm. After the conversation last night, he was well prepared to ignore the Princess, even if that meant petting the sword like some sort of animal. Link rolled his eyes at himself.

"We're close," the Princess said, turning slightly to look at him. "Another half a day's ride, and we'll be in Hyrule."

"Fine." He tapped his heel against Epona, urging her to canter. Zelda started pacing her horse; right front and back forward, and then the left side. Epona couldn't do that. Link had tried to teach her how to pace but she was too clumsy. He had almost broken his neck from the resulting fall. As it stood, her canter was well enough to keep up.

Despite the fact that he had no urge to go back, he felt excited at seeing some parts of Hyrule, namely Kokiri Forest. The villagers there watched as he grew up, and recognized him. Mido, of course, still hated him. Saria was still his best friend. Excitement made him impatient, and he forced himself to keep Epona at a canter, instead of letting her have the bit and just run flat out. She tossed her head as if she could read his thoughts and he patted her neck, smearing the pitch.

* * *

Akuma strolled through the Forest Temple, humming a happy tune. His guards stationed at the outskirts of Hyrule had just told him that the Hero and the Princess had arrived within the borders. A smirk crossed his face and he called his ice.

"Well?"

"My lord, we can't find the village," the crony said, wiping sweat from his brow. "We're lost."

"Of course you are, my dear sir," Akuma chuckled. "It is the Lost Woods after all." He closed his fist on the ice and chuckled darkly. He _was_ in a good mood, wasn't he?

_There's a rip in the universe here somewhere,_ he thought, suddenly serious. _Where could it be?_ He wandered through the main room, where the strange box was sitting in the middle of four lit torches. In curiosity, he stepped into the strange box, started when it whirred briefly and then slid slowly down. He was tempted to just blow it to smithereens, but when the box finally came to a stop, he could have kissed the thing.

The rip's presence was strong here, cloying the air with its' unnaturalness, giving Akuma a slight headache. A smirk crossed his face, and he phased through the wall that blocked his way into the room beyond, where the rip was. It was circular, with a staircase that followed the spiral of the room, leading to a fenced in area that was surrounded by numerous pictures that depicted the same thing; a winding road that led to a dark castle far from the viewer's perspective. He vaulted over the spear-like fence with the help of magic and walked to the middle of what he was sure was an arena.

The magic, so like his own, nearly bubbled at the center of the room. He banished the portal spell that was laid over top of the rip with a wave of his hand. He knelt down to touch the circular design in the middle of the floor, and sparks ignited between him and the rip. Feeling lightly with his magic, he found the borders of the rip and pulled them apart slowly, carefully. If he was hasty, he could release every bound demon and monster in this realm between worlds, and even Akuma himself wouldn't survive the onslaught. He _needed_ to do this right.

There. He opened the rip sufficiently to let whatever was bound there to exit. He stumbled back, his magic drained and his body sore. How long had he crouched there, working on freeing this monster? It didn't matter, though, because what stood before him was a wondrous sight.

A skeleton decked out in armor and astride a flaming horse floated in the air. It was crude; Akuma could see from where he was on the ground the spells that had weaved the thing together. A construct of evil that was unraveling, that's what this thing was. He stood and shook his head to clear the dizziness.

"What are you called?" he asked.

"I am the phantom of the King of Thieves, the one known as Ganondorf."

"Ganondorf? You are not him," Akuma scoffed. "He has been sealed away, has he not?"

"I am his phantom," the skeleton repeated. His arm fell off as the magic fell apart.

"You look _terrible,_" the mage said, circling the hovering demon. "And you look like you're in a lot of pain."

"I don't feel pain," the phantom replied. The horse snorted and kicked the air with its front hoof, where Akuma was. He jerked back.

"But you are unravelling. Surely you feel that?"

"Yes. It is...draining," the thing said, watching as his fallen arm turned to dust. "The magic that made me is draining."

"I can help," Akuma said. He folded his arms across his chest and looked up at the ghost. "All I ask for in return is your unwavering loyalty."

"I do not know how."

"It's easy. All you have to do is follow me." Akuma grinned and readied his magic once more. "I'll do the rest."

* * *

Their arrival into the lands of Hyrule was dulled by the rain. Link's already sour mood darkened, and he glared at the horizon.

There was no point in getting angry, but he couldn't help it; it wasn't like things could get much worse. That was when the sickening wave of black magic attacked his senses and made him wobble in the saddle.

"Link? What is it?" Zelda hauled her horse to a stop and waited for Link to steady himself and catch up.

"Can't you feel it? The darkness in the air?" Link asked. Surely the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom would have enough magic within her to feel the _wrongness_ in the air, weighting it down and making it hard to move?

"I feel a little sick," she admitted. "But I'm sure that it's just from riding for so long."

"Hmph." He urged Epona a bit faster, and as she broke into a trot, he lost his balance and fell. The water of the mud puddle he landed in went up his nose, and he started coughing. Zelda couldn't help but laugh a bit.

Here was the Hero of Time, sitting in a puddle, coughing, covered in mud and looking like a scrawny rat. His hair was plastered to his forehead, his cowl soaked and his boots squeaked when he got up. Zelda giggled at him.

"Welcome home, Link."

* * *

**~A.N. Look. It's shorter because it looks like no one gives a damn about the story. Whatever. I'm not going to try to write long chapters for absolutely no reviews. I've gotten two reviews. Some more reviews wouldn't hurt. It would actually make my day. They are very important to me. They're also useful in letting me know if I should continue this story or not. If people aren't going to review, then I'm not going to make a point of writing in a somewhat stable manner. All bitchyness aside, please review! They really do make my day!~**


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